This course is the first of a series that aims to prepare you for a role as an entry-level IT Support Specialist. In this course, you’ll be introduced to the world of Information Technology, or IT. You’ll learn about the different facets of Information Technology, like computer hardware, the Internet, computer software, troubleshooting, and customer service. This course covers a wide variety of topics in IT that are designed to give you an overview of what’s to come in this certificate program.
By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:
● understand how the binary system works
● assemble a computer from scratch
● choose and install an operating system on a computer
● understand what the Internet is, how it works, and the impact it has in the modern world
● learn how applications are created and how they work under the hood of a computer
● utilize common problem-solving methodologies and soft skills in an Information Technology setting

Reviews

AK

You were such a hit. Thanks for this course and the next five more! On behalf of our entire organization, thanks again for taking the Conference to a whole new level of education and professionalism!!

JP

Apr 27, 2020

Filled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled Star

Great course for beginners and experts. Easy to understand and a good refresher for those who have been into IT for a long date. Recommend it to everyone looking for a high quality course on coursera.

From the lesson

Operating System

In the third week of this course, we'll learn about operating systems. We'll discuss the common operating systems that are used today and understand how they work with the computer hardware. We'll learn about the "boot process" of an operating system and show you how to install Windows, Linux and Mac OSX operating systems from scratch. By the end of this module, you'll use the Qwiklabs environment to interact directly with the Windows and Linux operating systems.

Taught By

Google

Transcript

Before we start installing our operating system, we need to be familiar with the concept of Virtual Machines or VMs. A virtual machine is just a copy of a real machine. Why would you want that? We've been working with physical machines so far, but there are cases in IT support where we need access to a machine that isn't physically in front of us. Let's say I have a Windows machine and I want to learn another operating system like Linux. I don't want to buy another computer or have two separate operating systems on my disk. Instead, I can use an application like Virtual Box, to install Linux and have it completely isolated from my machine. Virtual machines use physical resources like memory, CPU and storage, but they offer the added benefit of running multiple operating systems at once. They're also easier to maintain and provision. Virtual machines have become a staple in many IT departments since they allow IT support specialists to create new virtual computers on-demand. They can also reclaim the resources they use when they're no longer needed. If you wanted to use software that's only available on one specific OS, it's easier to create a new virtual machine, use the software, and then delete the virtual machines once you're done. Throughout this program, you'll actually be using VMs to perform hands-on exercises. You'll be working on our quick labs platform, where you'll be presented tasks to complete from within a lab setting. We list out the specific tasks you'll need to complete. Once you complete the tasks, you'll get the credit for the lab. Okay. Now that we know what a virtual machine is, you can see how they can be extremely useful. We'll revisit the ends in the future and see there are other many uses. We're covering a lot of ground fast. Since we're going to start installing operating system soon, feel free to review these lessons to make sure you fully understand the fundamentals before moving on.

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